WEST SIDE STORY Review Roundup
by Robert Diamond - March 20, 2009
West Side Story transposes Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to the gang-ridden streets of Manhattan in the 1950s. Instead of the Capulets and Montagues, we have the Puerto Rican Sharks versus the Anglo Jets. In place of Romeo and Juliet are Tony and Maria, two teens torn between ethnic loyalty and their intense, abrupt love for one another. The Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim score includes "Tonight," "Somewhere," "Maria," "I Have a Love" and "Something's Coming." In what director/librettist Arthur Laurents says will convey authenticity, this version of the landmark musical will have Spanish interwoven in the dialogue and songs and gang members who are more thug life than thug lite.
Elysa Gardner, USA Today: "It's certainly not hard to root for Matt Cavenaugh's handsome, likable Tony, or the angelic but warmly coquettish Maria of Josefina Scaglione, whose sterling lyric soprano is perfectly suited to the role. Karen Olivo's witty, fiery Anita is another asset; she may not be the best dancer to ever tackle the role, but Joey McKneely's reproduction of Jerome Robbins' choreography lets her shine and the others soar."
Ben Brantley, NY Times: "But this "West Side Story" is most enthralling when Tony and Maria cross the ethnic divide to pursue the pipe dream of happiness together. Mr. Cavenaugh (on Broadway in "Urban Cowboy" and "Grey Gardens") and Ms. Scaglione (a 21-year-old newcomer from Argentina) fulfill the starry-eyed obligations of playing young folks struck by a love that arrives like a lightning bolt, propelling them into an enchanted, oblivious world of purple declarations of passion. But they also provide specific and surprising shadings of character that make Tony and Maria at least partly responsible for their fate instead of passive victims."
David Rooney, Variety: "The consummate craftsmanship of "West Side Story," with its matchless ability to weave a solemn narrative through music and dance, still dazzles after more than 50 years. Leonard Bernstein's majestic score, in particular, is undiminished, shifting fluidly between blasts of syncopated brass fueled by testosterone and rage, and some of the most achingly beautiful expressions of love ever sung. So it's rewarding to report that after nearly three decades' absence from Broadway, this masterwork has been given the revival it deserves. Under the knowing direction of Arthur Laurents, the 1957 show remains both a brilliant evocation of its period and a timeless tragedy of disharmony and hate."
David Sheward, Back Stage: "An air of immediacy and spontaneity infuses all of Arthur Laurents' high-impact staging. He retains the original vibrancy of this street-gang Romeo and Juliet while giving it a harsh, jagged edge. Laurents, author of the book, has said he wanted to put danger back into the 1957 show, after too many productions (and the 1961 Oscar-winning film version) had made the rival Jets and Sharks seem too much like adorable musical-comedy versions of juvenile delinquents."
Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune: "Fortunately for a new generation yet to see this show produced at this level, it retains the heart, soul and original moves and sounds of a theatrical masterpiece with Leonard Bernstein melodies so beautiful they reverberate deep in your chest. And yet this new production also radically updates and rejuvenates the show's social milieu. It's an ensemble-driven change-rather than the individual lead performances-that dominates the feeling and impact of this production."
Melissa Rose Bernardo, Entertainment Weekly: "In fact, whenever Scaglione or Olivo are on stage the show kicks into gear. As Maria's square-jawed, star-crossed lover Tony, Matt Cavenaugh sings beautifully and melts convincingly into Scaglione's arms - but as soon as they stop pawing at each other, Cavenaugh goes cold. Venezuelan actor George Akram, as Shark leader Bernardo, tears up the floor with Olivo in the 'Dance at the Gym,' but the rest of his performance lacks the kick of his mambo. "
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